I still remember the old town square in Warsaw before it was transformed into the space it is now. It would always be filled with cars as the area right in front of the Royal Palace was a parking lot. Visitors of the old town would always hope to find an empty spot there to shorten their walk to the main square. It felt so normal then.
But a few years ago the parking was removed and instead the space was open to pedestrians. Rather than cars, if you now visit you will see children playing, musicians, people sitting on terraces and street vendors selling balloons. This not-so-small transformation of space pushed some life into the historical site, which is now a stage for public life where all sorts of activities take place. And I must say, it sometimes really feels like it is the sight of different people rather than the beauty of the space that makes it so appealing.
Have a great weekend!
Marta Nosowicz,
Urban Planning and Healthy Cities Specialist
“There is a myth, sometimes widespread, that a person need only do inner work, in order to be alive like this; that a man is entirely responsible for his own problems; and that to cure himself, he need only change himself… The fact is, a person is so far formed by his surroundings, that his state of harmony depends entirely on his harmony with his surroundings.”
— Christopher Alexander et al. (The Timeless Way of Building)
🌎 From the world. In the competition of turning grey places into green oases, Paris is a strong candidate for the gold medal. A great example is the project around the Place de Catalogne that has been transformed into a wonderful public space, and Paris got a new 4,000 m² urban forest by planting 470 trees, including 270 large and medium-sized trees and 200 young trees aged 2 to 4 years.
🚲 From the Netherlands. The Dudok in Groningen is a famous gas station located on one of the most beautiful canals of the city. The municipality is busy transforming it into a great public space with access to the water. It's a wonderful example of turning car-centered space into a people-friendly place. It will be opened in the coming months.
🧡 From Humankind. We are about to launch the Good Public Space app in collaboration with UrbanistAI. It allows users to analyze public spaces with our Good Public Space method, and then reimagine the space using generative AI. We believe that this tool will improve collaboration and participation around public spaces. If you are interested in using this app, let us know!
📚 Dive Deeper. Why Public Space Matters by American professor Setha Low draws from decades of research across the Americas, from New York to Costa Rica. She shows how public space contributes to a flourishing society by promoting social justice and democratic practices.
🤩 So beautiful. During the 2018 TRIENNALE BRUGGE, architecture offices Dertien12 and OBBA explored the relationships between urban beauty, physical experience, and public space in a canal installation called The Floating Island. Visitors had the opportunity to discover how a public space can be not only fun, relaxing, and stimulating but also aesthetically pleasing.
Want to learn more about cycling in the Netherlands? We are hosting a masterclass on September 18 - 20, 2024 in Rotterdam, Delft & Amsterdam.
Designing the Cycling City – The Masterclass is a crash course in bicycle urbanism. Through a combination of presentations, lectures by well-known practitioners and researchers, cycling tours and practical sessions, this Masterclass takes the participants through a deep dive into the Dutch approach to cycling urbanism – arguably one of the most successful in the world.